


Mānsamu Mariyu Raktamu

by thelonewolfwrites



Category: Baahubali (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Baby Names, Canon Compliant, Canon Related, Canon Rewrite, Canon Universe, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, One Big Happy Family, Protective Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 22:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20897210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelonewolfwrites/pseuds/thelonewolfwrites
Summary: Set during the seemantham (baby shower) of Devasena at the temple post the Royal couple's exile, Baahu gushes over having a little family of his own.





	Mānsamu Mariyu Raktamu

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MayavanavihariniHarini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayavanavihariniHarini/gifts), [CarminaVulcana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarminaVulcana/gifts), [arpita](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arpita/gifts), [Inkn1ght1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkn1ght1/gifts).

> I've been working on this for a while now and I was sceptical about posting it. But meh, I don't care right now. I'm uploading this. 😎 Hope y'all like it. 
> 
> Bonus points to the Saaho Re WhatsApp group for being an awesome influence. Go girls. 
> 
> P.S: Shubsy, I borrowed Nithya Akka, hope you don't mind. ❤✌

The pillars of the temple were adorned with  _ mandaara and banti _ flowers, just like a newly minted bride.  _ Deepams  _ luminesced through the crevices of the walls, it seemed as if  _ deepavali _ knocked on the gates of Mahishmati as an early guest. The marriage of  _ madhuram  _ voices and the  _ nadaswaram  _ echo across the halls, and the common folk gathered to celebrate the arrival of the young prince.  _ Yuvarani _ Devasena sat on a hand-crafted stool, grinning from ear to ear as the ladies of the village smeared  _ turmeric paste _ on either side of her cheeks. It was an auspicious occasion, a commemoration of love, joy and celebration. The blood of the people's beloved Yuvaraju, Amarendra Bahubali, will soon bestow them with his presence and they will fall to their knees and rejoice. 

Baahu was the happiest man in the entire kingdom of Mahishmati. Sleeping on the _poddi_ _gaddi_ mat did not dampen his spirits nor did he ponder for a second over the loss of the throne. His <strike>foster </strike>mother had him thrown him out without a second thought, the depth of the truth nagged him like a noose that dangled in the air. The gaping abyss would swallow him if he digressed too close to the edge and he did not want that today. 

Not today. Of all days. 

Many moonless nights awaited him to dwell on such unpropitious musings. None of that mattered to him now. He chose to celebrate his family tonight. His  **only** family. 

\---

Amarendra Baahubali was someone who rendered unconditional love to his mother. She was his  _ Parameshwara _ and  _ Parvathi  _ amalgamated into one. Perhaps, the only deed he had not executed was erecting her  _ silpam _ on a podium and performing an  _ abhishekam.  _ Ma hishmati yearned for his devotion and love and so did his mother _ .  _ His amma? Was he even allowed to call her that anymore? 

A dreadful case of insomnia and the pressing state affairs rattled her overworked brain. She tossed and turned in vain. Even the herbal concoctions did not wreak their magic anymore_. She was restless without her Baahu._ Cold sweat broke out on her back, her silky night clothes drenched and clung to her body - she sat upright. And if she accidentally fell asleep, it was filled with nightmares, indicating an atrocity that might bechance the kingdom. She knew it in her icy nerves, something was terribly amiss. 

\---

_ Ratna! Bring that poo thattu! Make sure it has rose petals and white lilies too. Yuvarani Devasena is already seated!  _ Nithya akka screams her lungs out to her niece. She was the omnipresent figure in this ceremony, delegating tasks, organising the  <strike> festival  </strike> _ seemantham  _ and ensuring that everyone did their bit. 

_ What would I do without you, Nithya akka!  _ Baahu's deep voice resonated with glee. 

_ Anything for you, ayya! And before you ask me to call you Baahu, I plainly refuse to do so. You are our Maharaja, ayya. Nothing changes that.  _ her firm tone earned a chuckle from him and s he got back to yelling instructions at her husband. Next on her list was the erection of the  _ pandal _ for the meal to be served. 

He was moved to tears, he didn't know if he deserved the people's love. Was he even worthy? And if he was, why did Amma throw him out? His mind buzzed with numerous questions as he beheld the beautiful spectacle unfolding about. Soon, he will be blessed with a tiny child. A family he can call his own and one forged by flesh and blood. A family that gives and does not expect anything from him with the exception of unconditional love and affection.

His thoughts went back to the night he lay with Deva, soaking in her earthy feminine scent and gently massaged her scalp. Unwittingly, he hummed a  _ jola _ (lullaby) and tried to put his restless wife to sleep. 

_Bhairava_ _or Nilakanta? _

An infectious smile crept its way onto his lips.  _ How are you certain that it's a boy?  _

_ I just have an inkling. A mother simply knows what thrives in her womb.  _ Deva's voice was serious and she thought she could fool her husband but he saw right through her charade. He cocked an eyebrow, amused but he didn't buy it for a second. He knew that Devasena didn't dwell on superstitious beliefs even when it came to their child. 

_ I'm affirmative that Kavamma used the golden chain to determine the sex of the baby. I've seen her do it hundreds of times on the pregnant ladies back at the palace. It's the oldest trick in the book.  _

_ Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong!  _

He chuckled as she gently shoved his head and peals of laughter escaped her lips. 

_ Fine, dear husband. The chain moved in a perpendicular direction and Kavamma is positive, it is a boy. And also, my face is not radiant and glossy which proves the same theory.  _

She finished the last part a little dejectedly and Baahu beat himself up because he couldn't provide for her like he used to. His heart went out to her when she found it uncomfortable to sleep on the _poddi_ _gaddi_ mat, tossing and turning to find a proper sleeping position. If only he could place her in a cocoon of lotuses! She is the crown princess of Kuntala and should be nurtured as such. 

_ Well, I beg to differ. You are my moon and stars, naa bangaaram! And I will not sit here and listen to you take shots at your appearance. You hear me?  _ He took her face in his fierce and slender hands, caressed her cheeks, placed a kiss on her forehead. He hummed deeply, clutching her to his chest and patted her protruding belly, and continued to rock her to sleep. 

\---

_ This child is the blood of my blood. You must accept this small token of love, Maharaja!  _

_ How many times must I tell you, Thathayya! Please call me Baahubali or Baahu. I'm one of you now and Maharaja Bhallaladeva is your rightful sovereign.  _

The old man pressed a tiny package into his palm and brushed a hand over his head, showering him and his family with blessings. 

One by one, the people approached Baahu with the meager gifts they could afford to present to their proclaimed King. Miniature wooden hand-crafted flutes, clay-painted toy horses and elephants carved with the Mahishmati coat of arms, peacock feathers, rainbow pebbles, ragi laddoos, dry fruits and nuts in tiny matkas, _pappu_ _payasam_ and so much more. Devasena broke down as she was so overwhelmed by their love. They would commit  _ prana thyagam _ for Baahu without a second thought. 

She proudly stared at her husband, the man who gave up the luxury of the palace and the austerity of the throne to honor his oath and protect her. He would have made the perfect king to this deserving bunch. It was evident from the coronation ceremony when the people roared their collective message to the crown. They would have crowned Baahu as their king if given the choice. Guilt cracked through the crevices of her heart. Oh! Was it her fault that Baahu didn't ascend to the throne? Had she single-handedly brought doom upon the bloodline of the great Maharaja Vikramadeva? 

Baahu was in sheer oblivion and beyond thrilled about the ceremony. For him, it felt warmer than the one held at the palace. A thousand winters asphyxiated him as he recalled Rajamata Sivagami Devi's presence in the extravaganza masked as a baby shower. She had speared his heart within a second, the lingering " _ Amma _ " resonated in the air as his longing eyes followed her footsteps. No, that was a calamitous event he pretermitted with a grim smile. Despite everything he had done for them, they still managed to bear upon him from afar. 

Tonight, he will smear  _ pasupu _ on Deva's face and belly, thank  _ Parameshwara _ every time he can land a touch on his wife and unborn child. Tonight will be about his family.  **His** little family. 

\---

The ceremony was afoot under the watchful eyes of Kumara Varma. His tiger killing prowess with his bare hands deemed him worthy to guard the Royal couple. They were still royalty in his eyes and he swore an unsaid oath to protect Deva and Baahu with his own life if need be. He would never forget Baahu's  _ kathi  _ that surged fury and bravery through his veins and the need to protect innocent lives held precedence over his life. It gutted him to see Baahu grace rocks instead of the throne of Mahishmati. However, the majestic exuberance of his presence on a boulder defined the kind of King they needed and yearned for. 

_ With a heart of gold and perhaps his touch too, Amarendra Baahubali could turn boulders into olympian thrones,  _ Kumara Varma thought. 

Saving the best for last, Baahu took a dollop of  _ pasupu _ and daubed it gingerly on Devasena's cheeks. His fingers ghosted over her belly and he gazed at her like she was his sun. Her radiance knew no bounds and a few tears escaped his eyes. He smeared the  _ pasupu  _ on either sides of her bulge and he felt a nudge and he swore his heart skipped a beat. Deva nodded frantically, cleared his incertitude, it was his child's kick that he felt for the first time. Tears fell freely now, he had never known such joy in the entirety of his existence.

Uncharacteristically, his heart beat against the ribcage, thudding louder with every second. Feeling his child's tender foot through his wife's divine womb undid something in him. He felt blessed by  _ Mahadeva _ for the first time in many years. He could call this thriving life - his. Or better yet, he was also the reason behind bringing a human into this world. Oh, the things he would teach little Devasena. He secretly hoped it was a girl and he went ahead in his daydream to the day he would give her, her very own archery kit. Anything seemed possible now. He felt invincible. 

He grabbed a little instrument and played it to his heart's content. The people rejoiced.  _ Banti  _ petals galore in the air, it was as if Lord Shiva himself lavished his blessings and love from  _ paralokam _ . 

\---

Devasena opened the little package the village elder thrust into Baahu's palm. She unveiled the wooden box with painted with peacock motifs to find a miniature conch pendant attached to a sacred black thread. Tears welled in her eyes,  _ my boy is so loved, already.  _ She mused. He is destined for great things, just like his father, Amarendra Baahubali. 

\---

**Author's Note:**

> So, all of the native words used here are predominantly from Telugu. The title - Mānsamu Mariyu Rakhtamu translates to 'Flesh and Blood'. Sorry if I'm geeking out all over the place. 
> 
> Poddi gaddi - Dry grass  
Banti - Marigold  
Mandāra - Hibiscus
> 
> I'll try to translate more words later. Xoxo


End file.
